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Toronto police out in force near CN Tower over ‘unconfirmed, uncorroborated piece of information’

Toronto police said people should go about their day as normal Thursday after officers were sent out in force to the downtown core in response to an undisclosed “potential risk to public safety.”

After a cryptic early morning tweet Thursday reporting that Toronto police were responding to an “unconfirmed, uncorroborated piece of information,” uniform officers descended on the area around the CN Tower.

An internal police memo obtained by the Star and other media Thursday afternoon described the threat as a “potential vehicle ramming attack” in the area of the tower.

The memo said that on Wednesday, police received “credible” information regarding this potential threat, and outlined a plan for increased police presence in the area, including road closures, “vigilant patrol” and followup on any “suspicious behaviour.”

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In a tweet from the official Toronto police Twitter account, the service said the memo was a “draft operational plan that was never approved.”

“Our officers were provided with most up to date/accurate info this morning, as was public. Our current policing response in the downtown core is appropriate based on the info we have. We will update public as necessary,” Toronto police said in the tweet.

Asked if the description of the potential threat as “vehicle ramming attack” in the memo was inaccurate, a Toronto police spokesperson said the service would not be releasing any specific details about the information they received.

A police source told the Star that some officers were notified Wednesday that their shifts would be increased to 12 hours on Thursday, to enable patrol in the area around the Rogers Centre and the CN Tower.

In a press conference Thursday morning, Insp. Michael Barsky wouldn’t elaborate on what information led police to deploy more officers downtown, while emphasizing that Torontonians should go about their day as normal.

“We encourage people to come and enjoy all the venues they would normally enjoy,” Barsky told reporters at a news conference.

Toronto police revealed very little at a Thursday news conference about what prompted them to increase the number of officers downtown. Supt. Michael Barsky says police received information on “a potential risk to public safety.” (The Canadian Press)

Near the CN Tower, four police cruises could be seen stationed at the intersection of Bremner Blvd. and Lower Simcoe St. Another four were parked at Bremner and Navy Wharf Ct., on the west side of Rogers Centre.

In between, a number of police officers could be seen, some on foot, others on bikes and horses.

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Barsky said he wouldn’t comment on the nature of the risk or give any details about the investigation, but said that the police presence would remain the rest of the day.

“Whenever we have a report of a potential risk, we take that seriously,” Barsky said at a news conference beside the Rogers Centre.

He said the police presence was focused in the downtown core because it was an area packed with a high density of people.

Visitors were seen filing in and out of Ripley’s Aquarium and the CN Tower, as usual.

Some fans could be seen lining up for the Foo Fighters concert at the Rogers Centre, hours before doors opened.

Barsky said there would be no disruption at the dome.

Along Bremner from Scotiabank Centre to Rogers Centre, it seemed to be business as usual. Patios were open, with diners eating their lunch. Hotdog stands, ice cream trucks, gift shops were all open.

From time to time, people approached officers to ask what’s going on. Many seemed unbothered.

“They’re saying don’t worry,” said Matthew Laroche, who said he’s on vacation from Montreal with plans to visit the CN Tower.

“I’m glad nothing is cancelled. Seems pretty safe to me.”

Online, the public’s response to the tweet reflected confusion and concern, with some Torontonians tweeting that they were uncomfortable with the lack of information.

When asked at the news conference whether the original tweet — which did not mention a public safety risk — could have caused undue distress, Barsky said he “can’t speculate on how people are going to interpret our message.

“I appreciate the fact (of the tweet) being vague,” Barsky said. “Because there (is) a potential risk, that’s something from an investigative standpoint, we have to continue to monitor. If we had more specifics, if we could provide more specifics, we would certainly be more forthwith with that.”

Barsky concluded the news conference by saying “the message to the public is that Toronto is one of the safest cities in the world.”

John Tory’s office said the mayor has been briefed by police Chief Mark Saunders and “he will be continuing to monitor the situation.”

At Queen’s Park, Premier Doug Ford said his office is “aware of the reported potential threat in the city of Toronto.”

“While the information is unsubstantiated, the premier has been briefed by the provincial security advisor and is actively monitoring the situation,” Ford said in a tweet.

“Our officials remain in close contact with federal and municipal security partners,” he said.

Anne Marie Aikins, spokesperson for Metrolinx, said that police had made them aware of an “uncorroborated threat” early in the morning and that they had put in place an emergency plan that includes “a heightened vigilance.”

“So we have an increased presence, for example, at Union Station. It’s one of the most critical pieces of transportation infrastructure in the country so it’s important that it be a priority,” she said. “Safety is our first priority, we treat it very seriously.”

York and Peel region police forces both said they were aware of the situation and working with Toronto police. York police also said they will increase their presence in their region in a news release.

“Public safety is our primary concern and we are working closely with our emergency service partners across the GTA as we investigate and respond to the information we have received,” the news release said.

There was also increased police presence at Canada’s Wonderland in Vaughan. The park remained open and it’s business as usual.

RCMP Sgt. Penny Hermann said they were aware of the situation, and that “the RCMP works closely with municipal provincial police partners and will assist as needed.” Hermann was not able to immediately confirm if RCMP are involved at this point.

Kevin Dobbin and his fiancée Amanda, who are in town from Sault Ste Marie, said they hadn’t heard anything about the police’s announcement. Nonetheless it wouldn’t push them to alter their plans of sightseeing around the city until the weekend.

“Go ahead and threaten me, I’ll carry on with my life. I’m hiding from nobody,” he said.

Correction — July 12, 2018: An earlier version of this story misspelled Insp. Michael Barsky’s surname.

With files from Robert Benzie and Jennifer Pagliaro

Alexandra Jones is a breaking news reporter, working out of the Star’s radio room in Toronto. Follow her on Twitter: @AlexandraMaeJ

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